So glad that I finally pulled this book off of my shelf to read. It has given me valuable insight into the character, as well as the trials and tribulations, of Captain Robert FitzRoy who was responsible for taking Charles Darwin around the world on the H.M.S. Beagle. It's wonderful when a story helps to provide a better understanding and picture of a voyage of such historical significance. ( )

Interesting story about a peripheral aspect of Darwin's journey on the Beagle. ( )

A good history behind Darwin's expeditions and a look at the mental illness and it's treatments (or lack thereof) in the past. ( )

The author finds a new way to explore the Charles Darwin story that hasn't been done before: through an autobiography of Captain Fitzroy. This is a very good treatment of the troubled captain, removing the stereotypes that have surrounded him for so long, and fleshing out the man, who was a contributor in his own right to modern science. ( )

I originally bought this book because the subject matter seemed very interesting. The story of the captain behind Darwin is rarely told, however the author ruins the story by poor writing. Paragraphs about separate ideas are put together with little to no transition giving the book a jumpy, incomplete feeling. It made the book too difficult to read for me which was highly disappointing since the story seemed to have so much promise. ( )